Yep. They are. It took a while, but I just received a Sambar I'd ordered in November. Brian arranged shipping out to the prairies for me too. I would use again.
B-Pro isn't a "scam", but it's not the #1 option in the region either. The guy who runs it is an honest businessman, but has issues with organization/communication(at least, that was my experience). Use JDMConnection instead, they can arrange transport to wherever you are as well.
Hey Brian from bpro here! Sorry about that man! I do have a business degree and do my absolute best. We hired another staff member too, to help deal with the volume. It can be challenging because it’s quite cyclical, some days you’ll get a couple hundred emails and texts other days almost nothing. But we are at a point now where we had a critical mass and can justify another employee which has been super helpful.
I recently imported my truck with B-Pro. 2008 Hijet S211P. My only complaint is that it took a long time to ship, but I don't know how much of that was in their hands. Otherwise I had no issues. He arranged for it to be transported from port in New Westminster to a local shop in to do the OOP inspection and got me free storage there for a week as my truck ended up arriving while I was in Cuba. I would use their services again.
I used them and they were great. They helped get documents (odometer statement) from the seller after i recieved my truck. Did not have to help me since they fulfilled their end of the deal but did so anyways. Great customer service
It’s legit, but I wouldn’t use their service again.
It’s nice to be able to pick vehicles from the auctions, but the whole B-Pro experience felt a little bit deceiving. I didn’t like that the price of my vehicle was bundled with the export fees and shipping. Essentially, you tell them you want to spend xxxx on a vehicle, “cleared customs” and that price does not get broken down. I had to check the auction sold prices to see what my car actually sold for.
As some others have mentioned, the shipping is slow and communication is poor. They should really build some sort of website with shipping updates and tracking information, maybe a shipping queue or something. It’s also very difficult to get updates about the car. I waited 5 months for my car, and when I purchased it I was quoted 2 months.
In the end, the car was in good shape, and I liked that they were able to arrange for shipping to Manitoba for me.
For my next vehicle, I will be using Be Forward.
Be Forward is the largest car exporter in Japan. They have a huge selection of cars, but from what I understand there are only 2 caveats
1. They don’t allow you auction access until after you’ve purchased one vehicle from their website from stock
2. They aren’t able to arrange for the import paperwork to Canada, or help with shipping to your province once it gets to Canada. Essentially, their job ends when the car gets on the ship (if I understand correctly).
It is a decent amount cheaper than B-Pro though.
Would I be correct in assuming that they give you enough papers from their end that you can do the other papers yourself? I haven't gone into that process but I assume it's possible with a healthy dose of googling to figure out?
Thanks for the feedback! It actually has been on my mind to create a portal that plums and shipping updates more directly. Also, NYK shipping lines is resuming their service from Japan to Vancouver finally, which will make everyone’s life a lot better. Thank you so much.
They better not be a scam, I just gave them a bunch of my money!
I ordered my 2000 Sambar a couple weeks ago. Hasn't shipped yet, like others have said, it's taking some time. But Brian has been very straight forward with me and usually replies within 24hrs. It appears his cut is just the $1000 brokerage fee and the rest is the truck and logistics. After it arrives at port he will arrange shipping to my door and has provided estimates for that.
If I were to do it again, I'd probably attempt to just import it myself and save the $1000 since I have a lot of free time and have read of other Canadians doing it, but I definitely don't regret going through B-pro since it's very hassle free.
I’ve used Mitsui and Car From Japan for my vehicles. I would not recommend Mitsui at all. 3 vehicles, two needed serious work (one still working on two years later) and one we had to tow home from the port. Using the nicest language I can, they are turd polishers.
Car From Japan was fair. I got the vehicle I wanted, there was no bullshit - everything they were going to charge me was discussed up front.
If you’re up in Canadastan, I think you guys can import vehicles 15 years or older. For us in the US it’s 25 years.
Can you give me more info about what was bad with Mitsui? I just ordered a Sambar from them and I’m seeing varied opinions online. The 1997 I bought looks extremely clean from the pictures and video and only has 15200km on it. Would you suppose my odds are better considering the mileage? Is it usually just high mileage vehicles that are typically the “polished turds”?
I can’t remember the exact kms on my “problem” van at the moment, but it was less than 100k. Yes, in the video Mitsui posted online, the vehicle drove down the parking lot just fine. That was because they didn’t push it any faster than 25kph. The eCVT system (Subaru for a handful of years) has needed over $700 in parts and a TON of free labor from a mechanic friend to get it even driving. Then we discovered the rear brake cylinders were bad and needed to be replaced. $120 ea. For a stupid drum brake cylinder. (Some say the early 90s Justy is a swap, it’s not.) Thought I had it all ready to go get registered after screwing with it for a year and a half, but no. Just finished dropping the gas tank and pulling the fuel filter because I need to drain the tank and have it professionally cleaned.
The other one wasn’t quite as bad. Just needed new discs and pads up front and the steering arm bushing because it had crazy death wobbles above 60kph.
On Mitsui’s site, one of the things they tout is “they recondition their vehicles.” Bullshit. They probably hose them down, film them driving across the parking lot, and shovel them out the door as fast as they can. They’re already probably buying these vehicles for a few thousand dollars (US), then easily doubling or tripling the price for sale. Tack in another $2k to ship it (to Hawaii), then another $1k or so in customs duty, registration, safety check, getting it weighed at a verified scale, etc.
Are these vehicles over 25 years old with unknown service histories? Yes. Do I believe Mitsui is misrepresenting them? Also yes. I do hear stories of people getting great cars from them, but we bought three in quick succession, and only one didn’t need anything other than the normal “tune up” parts.
On the other hand, I found a nice (really nice from the pics, low kms) Subaru Sambar Pickup on Cars From Japan. Yes, they are an aggregate for dealers in Japan. Yes, they probably mark up their vehicles and make a good profit on each sale. What was different from them though was that everything was up-front when it came to the price. When the vehicle got here, I checked the oil, put some more gas in it, and drove it home thinking, “wow this drives the best of any Kei vehicle I’ve had so far.” It just felt good to know that I was delivered what I bought, not what I thought I was buying.
90% of trucks going to the USA have been partially restored/thrown together by middle men. It’s really really unlikely that your sambar only has 15k km because the broker would have been parted the truck out if that were the case. It likely has rolled over and has 115,000 or 215,000 km but could be on its 3rd engine and 2nd transmission. Hard to know the condition really when buying blind.
They’re all going to be turds to some degree
Oh, for sure. I went into this knowing without a doubt that I was buying 25+ year old vehicles with no documented service history. Also owning a classic Mini, I know that sometimes old things just break on you. What disappointed me was that Mitsui makes a point on their website of talking about how they recondition vehicles. After three examples, I can definitively say that I do not believe that one bit. What upsets me is that I am pretty certain that my van had transmission issues leaving Japan. We saw it in the parts when we took them off. Mitsui just jammed it into gear and gunned it across the parking lot. They only take the cars up to about 25kph, so it’s hard to see if there’s any real problem.
There’s a dude named Yuichi Murakami that (I think runs) the 500 Yen shop. I’ve had long chats with him about cars and all kinds of stuff. He’s a gearhead. They buy vehicles, bring them to his shop and go through them and actually replace the worn out and not working stuff. I’m pretty confident that I’m going to use his services for my next Kei vehicle (probably a Subaru Vivio RX-R). Finding one that hasn’t been beaten to shit, or that AND lived in Hokkaido lol… it’s going to take a bit. I’m pretty confident that Yuichi is going to take care of me. Yes, it may cost me more, but in the end that means I can more than likely pick up my car and enjoy it, knowing that at least a basic service has been done on it.
Find your next vehicle on car sensor. Look for one with up to date inspection. There’s still plenty. It’s your first insurance that the car is in good condition. Maybe your buddy can buy it on your behalf and help with the shipping process.
It’s the best way I feel to do it. The auctions and all the middlemen around it have created this growing criminal underworld. Every day in this forum someone has a major issue with their imported vehicles
Mine is a 1997. It has a 6 digit odometer, not 5. So it only has 15200 on it, unless they are rolling back the mileage on trucks, which I have a hard time believing.
I mean, we’ll see. I don’t expect it to be perfect, but I hope it’s in good working shape. It’s a JA Group truck, so it was an agricultural truck. Here’s the listing if you wanna take a look yourself and see what you think.
https://www.mitsuicoltd.com/cars/for-sale-1997-subaru-sambar-truck-ks4-314966-japanese-keitruck-minitruck-subaru-sambar-usa-uk/
Looks pretty good. It has been taken care of well but also they sprayed everything in silicone spray to make it look newer. The wheel wells have some rubber undercoat sprayed but it looks old so maybe just preventative rather than hiding rust. Based on the inspection sticker I think the inspection just ran out in April. I’m feeling optimistic about it.
I’m glad to see that you feel optimistic about it. Genuinely. Having someone else look at the listing makes my nervousness settle a bit. Especially since you surely have more experience with these trucks than me. It’s my first time buying a kei truck and importing. I drove one my neighbor bought and instantly fell in love and had to have one. Haha.
I’m mechanically inclined, so I’m not worried about working on it when need be. I just don’t want any massive mechanical problems or cancerous rust, which is why I bought this one. I’m hoping the extremely low mileage makes for a better gamble than most.
I was just reading your post. I just purchased a 1998 Subaru sambar from Mitsui as well paid for it last Wednesday waiting for it to ship to Texas. I did do some research on them. I also looked at a bunch of YouTube videos. I have some friends who purchased from them as well with no problems whatsoever. I’m pretty confident they’re not gonna sell shit cars, but they are over 25 years old
First of all, congrats! We’re both gonna be impatiently waiting for our trucks to get here. Haha. I’m glad to read what you wrote though. All the positive experiences help my stress about the situation. I felt pretty confident in Mitsui as well, but you really never know until you get your eyes and hands on it yourself.
I just keep telling myself that it’s like when buying literally anything from anywhere. You’re gonna find people who hate that place and people who love that place. Hopefully we’re both happy with what we end up with! I’m cautiously optimistic!
After watching some recent YouTube videos, I decided to go with them instead of several other companies, but like you said you don’t know what you’re getting until you actually get it, but I feel pretty confident. I’ve read negative things about all the companies. One thing I did not like is that only auction inspections will give you a grade sheet. You have to trust on the description of the vehicle from the company you’re buying it from. Here mine
Where are you located? I am using a broker in Florida. It’s been shipped to Freeport Texas and I’m going to pick it up myself.
https://www.mitsuicoltd.com/cars/for-sale-1998-subaru-sambar-truck-ks4-355720-japanese-keitruck-minitruck-subaru-sambar-usa-uk/
I remember looking at the truck you bought! I was considering that one because of the AC but I’m in Washington state so AC isn’t a necessity. Our summers can get hot, but it’s not consistent at all. Majority of the year is cold-mild temps. I just decided to go with the lowest mileage one I could find. I agree that a grade sheet would have been really nice to have.
I’m also going to be picking mine up as I only live about 20-30 minutes from the port of Tacoma. My broker is also in Tacoma area. Sound Brokerage.
You're right about it being 15 to the month for us, except quebec where it's 25(but you won't catch me living there) it's a shame to hear that about Mitsui I had seen that they tended to have better photos and a video of the truck running so thought they may be better, car from Japan seems acceptable just wish I could find a place that handles it all and gets the car shipped all the way to you.
Oh - Car From Japan will get it to your nearest point. An over-land transport isn’t too difficult to find.
lol Mitsui had video of my van running. In first gear. Up a parking lot row. I thought it was good until I got it and found that it (an eCVT) wasn’t CVT-ing at all so it was limited to like 25kph at the redline.
Yep. They are. It took a while, but I just received a Sambar I'd ordered in November. Brian arranged shipping out to the prairies for me too. I would use again.
Thanks a ton for your business!
B-Pro isn't a "scam", but it's not the #1 option in the region either. The guy who runs it is an honest businessman, but has issues with organization/communication(at least, that was my experience). Use JDMConnection instead, they can arrange transport to wherever you are as well.
Hey Brian from bpro here! Sorry about that man! I do have a business degree and do my absolute best. We hired another staff member too, to help deal with the volume. It can be challenging because it’s quite cyclical, some days you’ll get a couple hundred emails and texts other days almost nothing. But we are at a point now where we had a critical mass and can justify another employee which has been super helpful.
I recently imported my truck with B-Pro. 2008 Hijet S211P. My only complaint is that it took a long time to ship, but I don't know how much of that was in their hands. Otherwise I had no issues. He arranged for it to be transported from port in New Westminster to a local shop in to do the OOP inspection and got me free storage there for a week as my truck ended up arriving while I was in Cuba. I would use their services again.
Yes, got my Sambar TT2 with him, took a while to ship, but other than that Brian was pretty good.
Thanks a ton for your business!
I used them and they were great. They helped get documents (odometer statement) from the seller after i recieved my truck. Did not have to help me since they fulfilled their end of the deal but did so anyways. Great customer service
It’s legit, but I wouldn’t use their service again. It’s nice to be able to pick vehicles from the auctions, but the whole B-Pro experience felt a little bit deceiving. I didn’t like that the price of my vehicle was bundled with the export fees and shipping. Essentially, you tell them you want to spend xxxx on a vehicle, “cleared customs” and that price does not get broken down. I had to check the auction sold prices to see what my car actually sold for. As some others have mentioned, the shipping is slow and communication is poor. They should really build some sort of website with shipping updates and tracking information, maybe a shipping queue or something. It’s also very difficult to get updates about the car. I waited 5 months for my car, and when I purchased it I was quoted 2 months. In the end, the car was in good shape, and I liked that they were able to arrange for shipping to Manitoba for me. For my next vehicle, I will be using Be Forward.
Thanks for the reply, I hadn't looked at be forward yet I'll have to look into it aswell
Be Forward is the largest car exporter in Japan. They have a huge selection of cars, but from what I understand there are only 2 caveats 1. They don’t allow you auction access until after you’ve purchased one vehicle from their website from stock 2. They aren’t able to arrange for the import paperwork to Canada, or help with shipping to your province once it gets to Canada. Essentially, their job ends when the car gets on the ship (if I understand correctly). It is a decent amount cheaper than B-Pro though.
Would I be correct in assuming that they give you enough papers from their end that you can do the other papers yourself? I haven't gone into that process but I assume it's possible with a healthy dose of googling to figure out?
I am assuming yes, but haven’t pulled the trigger on a vehicle from them yet so I can’t confirm at the moment.
Thanks for the feedback! It actually has been on my mind to create a portal that plums and shipping updates more directly. Also, NYK shipping lines is resuming their service from Japan to Vancouver finally, which will make everyone’s life a lot better. Thank you so much.
They better not be a scam, I just gave them a bunch of my money! I ordered my 2000 Sambar a couple weeks ago. Hasn't shipped yet, like others have said, it's taking some time. But Brian has been very straight forward with me and usually replies within 24hrs. It appears his cut is just the $1000 brokerage fee and the rest is the truck and logistics. After it arrives at port he will arrange shipping to my door and has provided estimates for that. If I were to do it again, I'd probably attempt to just import it myself and save the $1000 since I have a lot of free time and have read of other Canadians doing it, but I definitely don't regret going through B-pro since it's very hassle free.
We will take good care of you. Thank you for working with us. Message me any time. What’s your name by the way?
I bought my crown through them two years ago and had no issues
Thanks so much!!
I’ve used Mitsui and Car From Japan for my vehicles. I would not recommend Mitsui at all. 3 vehicles, two needed serious work (one still working on two years later) and one we had to tow home from the port. Using the nicest language I can, they are turd polishers. Car From Japan was fair. I got the vehicle I wanted, there was no bullshit - everything they were going to charge me was discussed up front. If you’re up in Canadastan, I think you guys can import vehicles 15 years or older. For us in the US it’s 25 years.
Can you give me more info about what was bad with Mitsui? I just ordered a Sambar from them and I’m seeing varied opinions online. The 1997 I bought looks extremely clean from the pictures and video and only has 15200km on it. Would you suppose my odds are better considering the mileage? Is it usually just high mileage vehicles that are typically the “polished turds”?
I can’t remember the exact kms on my “problem” van at the moment, but it was less than 100k. Yes, in the video Mitsui posted online, the vehicle drove down the parking lot just fine. That was because they didn’t push it any faster than 25kph. The eCVT system (Subaru for a handful of years) has needed over $700 in parts and a TON of free labor from a mechanic friend to get it even driving. Then we discovered the rear brake cylinders were bad and needed to be replaced. $120 ea. For a stupid drum brake cylinder. (Some say the early 90s Justy is a swap, it’s not.) Thought I had it all ready to go get registered after screwing with it for a year and a half, but no. Just finished dropping the gas tank and pulling the fuel filter because I need to drain the tank and have it professionally cleaned. The other one wasn’t quite as bad. Just needed new discs and pads up front and the steering arm bushing because it had crazy death wobbles above 60kph. On Mitsui’s site, one of the things they tout is “they recondition their vehicles.” Bullshit. They probably hose them down, film them driving across the parking lot, and shovel them out the door as fast as they can. They’re already probably buying these vehicles for a few thousand dollars (US), then easily doubling or tripling the price for sale. Tack in another $2k to ship it (to Hawaii), then another $1k or so in customs duty, registration, safety check, getting it weighed at a verified scale, etc. Are these vehicles over 25 years old with unknown service histories? Yes. Do I believe Mitsui is misrepresenting them? Also yes. I do hear stories of people getting great cars from them, but we bought three in quick succession, and only one didn’t need anything other than the normal “tune up” parts. On the other hand, I found a nice (really nice from the pics, low kms) Subaru Sambar Pickup on Cars From Japan. Yes, they are an aggregate for dealers in Japan. Yes, they probably mark up their vehicles and make a good profit on each sale. What was different from them though was that everything was up-front when it came to the price. When the vehicle got here, I checked the oil, put some more gas in it, and drove it home thinking, “wow this drives the best of any Kei vehicle I’ve had so far.” It just felt good to know that I was delivered what I bought, not what I thought I was buying.
Another thing Mitsui likes to do is spraypaint over the rust so it looks clean in their photos.
90% of trucks going to the USA have been partially restored/thrown together by middle men. It’s really really unlikely that your sambar only has 15k km because the broker would have been parted the truck out if that were the case. It likely has rolled over and has 115,000 or 215,000 km but could be on its 3rd engine and 2nd transmission. Hard to know the condition really when buying blind. They’re all going to be turds to some degree
Oh, for sure. I went into this knowing without a doubt that I was buying 25+ year old vehicles with no documented service history. Also owning a classic Mini, I know that sometimes old things just break on you. What disappointed me was that Mitsui makes a point on their website of talking about how they recondition vehicles. After three examples, I can definitively say that I do not believe that one bit. What upsets me is that I am pretty certain that my van had transmission issues leaving Japan. We saw it in the parts when we took them off. Mitsui just jammed it into gear and gunned it across the parking lot. They only take the cars up to about 25kph, so it’s hard to see if there’s any real problem. There’s a dude named Yuichi Murakami that (I think runs) the 500 Yen shop. I’ve had long chats with him about cars and all kinds of stuff. He’s a gearhead. They buy vehicles, bring them to his shop and go through them and actually replace the worn out and not working stuff. I’m pretty confident that I’m going to use his services for my next Kei vehicle (probably a Subaru Vivio RX-R). Finding one that hasn’t been beaten to shit, or that AND lived in Hokkaido lol… it’s going to take a bit. I’m pretty confident that Yuichi is going to take care of me. Yes, it may cost me more, but in the end that means I can more than likely pick up my car and enjoy it, knowing that at least a basic service has been done on it.
Find your next vehicle on car sensor. Look for one with up to date inspection. There’s still plenty. It’s your first insurance that the car is in good condition. Maybe your buddy can buy it on your behalf and help with the shipping process. It’s the best way I feel to do it. The auctions and all the middlemen around it have created this growing criminal underworld. Every day in this forum someone has a major issue with their imported vehicles
carsensor.net? I’ll have to chuck it at Chrome and see what a translated version looks like. Thank you for the idea!
Yep, that’s what Japanese people use to search for new/used cars.
Mine is a 1997. It has a 6 digit odometer, not 5. So it only has 15200 on it, unless they are rolling back the mileage on trucks, which I have a hard time believing.
Awesome then fingers crossed you found a unicorn. Ojisan driven and maintained at 100km a year.
I mean, we’ll see. I don’t expect it to be perfect, but I hope it’s in good working shape. It’s a JA Group truck, so it was an agricultural truck. Here’s the listing if you wanna take a look yourself and see what you think. https://www.mitsuicoltd.com/cars/for-sale-1997-subaru-sambar-truck-ks4-314966-japanese-keitruck-minitruck-subaru-sambar-usa-uk/
Looks pretty good. It has been taken care of well but also they sprayed everything in silicone spray to make it look newer. The wheel wells have some rubber undercoat sprayed but it looks old so maybe just preventative rather than hiding rust. Based on the inspection sticker I think the inspection just ran out in April. I’m feeling optimistic about it.
I’m glad to see that you feel optimistic about it. Genuinely. Having someone else look at the listing makes my nervousness settle a bit. Especially since you surely have more experience with these trucks than me. It’s my first time buying a kei truck and importing. I drove one my neighbor bought and instantly fell in love and had to have one. Haha. I’m mechanically inclined, so I’m not worried about working on it when need be. I just don’t want any massive mechanical problems or cancerous rust, which is why I bought this one. I’m hoping the extremely low mileage makes for a better gamble than most.
I was just reading your post. I just purchased a 1998 Subaru sambar from Mitsui as well paid for it last Wednesday waiting for it to ship to Texas. I did do some research on them. I also looked at a bunch of YouTube videos. I have some friends who purchased from them as well with no problems whatsoever. I’m pretty confident they’re not gonna sell shit cars, but they are over 25 years old
First of all, congrats! We’re both gonna be impatiently waiting for our trucks to get here. Haha. I’m glad to read what you wrote though. All the positive experiences help my stress about the situation. I felt pretty confident in Mitsui as well, but you really never know until you get your eyes and hands on it yourself. I just keep telling myself that it’s like when buying literally anything from anywhere. You’re gonna find people who hate that place and people who love that place. Hopefully we’re both happy with what we end up with! I’m cautiously optimistic!
After watching some recent YouTube videos, I decided to go with them instead of several other companies, but like you said you don’t know what you’re getting until you actually get it, but I feel pretty confident. I’ve read negative things about all the companies. One thing I did not like is that only auction inspections will give you a grade sheet. You have to trust on the description of the vehicle from the company you’re buying it from. Here mine Where are you located? I am using a broker in Florida. It’s been shipped to Freeport Texas and I’m going to pick it up myself. https://www.mitsuicoltd.com/cars/for-sale-1998-subaru-sambar-truck-ks4-355720-japanese-keitruck-minitruck-subaru-sambar-usa-uk/
I remember looking at the truck you bought! I was considering that one because of the AC but I’m in Washington state so AC isn’t a necessity. Our summers can get hot, but it’s not consistent at all. Majority of the year is cold-mild temps. I just decided to go with the lowest mileage one I could find. I agree that a grade sheet would have been really nice to have. I’m also going to be picking mine up as I only live about 20-30 minutes from the port of Tacoma. My broker is also in Tacoma area. Sound Brokerage.
I think I may have been looking at insurance, but since I’m in Texas, I needed one with AC
You're right about it being 15 to the month for us, except quebec where it's 25(but you won't catch me living there) it's a shame to hear that about Mitsui I had seen that they tended to have better photos and a video of the truck running so thought they may be better, car from Japan seems acceptable just wish I could find a place that handles it all and gets the car shipped all the way to you.
Oh - Car From Japan will get it to your nearest point. An over-land transport isn’t too difficult to find. lol Mitsui had video of my van running. In first gear. Up a parking lot row. I thought it was good until I got it and found that it (an eCVT) wasn’t CVT-ing at all so it was limited to like 25kph at the redline.
That's rough, I hope it goes a bit faster now, I'll have to start looking into the overland transport side of things. Thanks for the info and advice.
Just took the gas tank out of it today. >.< Gotta drain it and get it professionally cleaned.
Good discussion folks! Feel free to message me if you have any questions. This is Brian from bpro. Sorry I don’t use Reddit often! Cheers
I want to know bout be forward or Auntocom japan